Hydrocarbon distillation



Nov. 10,1925. 1,561.169

H. G. W. KITTREDGE HYDROCARBON DISTILLATION Filed Aug. 15. 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @Hm neg Nov. 10,1925` 1,561,169

H. G. W. KITTREDGE HYDROCARBON DISTILLATION Filed Aug. 13, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l r I l l l l l l l l l l mifm NEY

UNITED ST PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY G. W. IITTREDGE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T CAROLINE A. KITTBEDGE, OIF TOLEDO, OHIO.

HYDROCARBON DISTILLATION.

Application inea August 13, 1919. serial ne. 317,129.

T0 all whom it may concer/n.'

Be it known that I, HENRY Gr. W. KIT- TREDGE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Toledo, Lucas County,

Ohio, have invented new and useful Hydrocarbon Distillation, of which the followmg isa specification.

rllhis invention relates to heating of liquids.

This invention has utility when incororated in connection with distillation of hydro-cartoons as in petroleum series for running, especially to get fractions for gasoline.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of an embodiment ofthe invention in a petroleum still;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, with parts broken away, of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view showing reservoir or still elements in section with the housing therefor also in horizontal section; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the housing and stills from the furnace to the uptake through the sides thereof, parts beingbroken away.

In the instance of operating the still with mid-continent petroleum distillate of sa 37 Baume gravity to get additional lighter ao roduct therefrom, as gasoline, this still or distillation system may be operated as a continuous proposition. That is, the operation may be continued as long as desired by a continuous replenishment as the material is distilled from the still. This replenishment may occur by circulating through pipe 1 a distillate such as is to be fed into the still and in this pipe 1, pipe 2 is entered to be open to receive such liquid supply as may be necessary for replenishment to liquid level 3 in reservoir 4 of the still installation.

The still installation is shown as having from the still 4 a pipe '5 extending to a pump 6 which may withdraw liquid from the still 4 and by pipe 7 deliver this liquid to the top or upper portion of chamber or reservoir 8. From this reservoir 8 the heated liquid with entrained vapor may ascend through riser 9 and enter the still 4 from interior extension portion having distributed openings 10 therefrom.

While the distillation may be effected by any desired heating means, in this instance it is shown as effected by liquid fuel supplied by line 11 having control valve 12 thereon. Should this fuel be a heavy product, steam line 13 having valve 14 may be used in injecting this fuel from burner 15 into a combustion chamber 16'. These highly heated gases are directed by arch portion 17 about the upper portion of chamber 8 in the nature of a reverberatory furnace with this chamber 8 as a bridge wall. From thence by flue or passage 18 these products of combustion from this furnace or reverberatory heater of reservoir 8 may pass through horizontal series of flues 19 transversely extending medially of the chamber or reservoir 4. Accordingly, these hot gases from duct portion 18 pass through the series of ilues 19 to duct portion 20, thence by duct 21 to stack 22 or other draft inducing means for carrying olf these fumes or products of combustion from the still.

The heating of the still or chamber 8 as a reservoir is in the upper portion thereof,

y thus leaving a lower unheated region 23.

Likewise the heating of the reservoir 4 is such that there is a lower unbeated region 24. In the handling of petroleum distillate, there is in the cracking quite a considerable accumulation of coke and the separation of such is a problem. These unheated portions 23, 24, permit of the separation of heavy portions and coke in quiet regions apart from heat circulation or forced cir.` culation and such product -when accumu. lated to an extent which may be determined in the continuous operation of the still as approaching or interfering with the circulation regions, may be removed by cleanout opening 25 from reservoir 8 and by clean-out opening 26 from reservoir 4.

The intense heat, playing directly upon the liquid against the upper walls of the reservoir 8, effects a vaporization as well as a cracking or rearrangement of the molecular combinations in the liquids or hydro-carbon or petroleum and these heated portions close 100 to the walls of this reservoir 8 tend to rise and may rise through the duct 9 and enter the reservoir 4. It is desired to have this circulation in the reservoir 8 at a minimum and accordingly the su ply line 7 is near the top and the discharge ine 9 is also near the top so the liquid is rising really in a region closely following the arch of this reservoir 8 as adjacent the reverberatory furnace heated portion of this still installation. This circulation from the reservoir 8 to the reservoir 4 is natural, and may be effected within a minimum of disturbance of the liquor in the still 4. To this end, the riser line 9 is near the top of the liquid level in such still as far as permitted by the flues 19 and has discharge from this pipe or duct 9 distributed throughout the still 4 to eiect a distributed heating or dispersion of this high temperature liquid in the still 4 to further assist vaporization in the still 4 which has a maximum extent of free surface from which the liquid may evaporate. 4

On this reservoir 4 is disposed an air condenser 27 having transverse air ducts 28 therethrough and a longitudinal air duct 29 near the top. Connected to this air condenser 27 above the duct 29 is a riser 30 extending at a slight inclination upward. Accordingly, the vapors condensing in the line 3() as well as in the air condensers 27 tend to run back and may pass by distributed openings 31 into the still 4 to fall upon the hot surface of the liquor 3 and be cracked, or rearranged in fornr to work out the lighter fractions for distillation to pass effectively through the riser lines 30 into a condenser 32 where the product may be condensed for placing in tanks as desired.

In the cleaning out of reservoir 4, manhole 83 is provided. For controlling the air condensers 27, in instances where it is desired there should be a reduced condensation falling back in the chamber 4, vane or damper 34 may be swung up adjacent the air condenser 27 and thus reduce the capacity of the transverse air ducts 28 as condensing agents in this air condenser 27. The action of the pump 6 is such that there may not be extensive vapor accumulation in the chamber 8 but that this chamber 8 may have liquid level therein maintained to correspond as a full chamber below the level of the liquid in the chamber or reservoir 4, although the heat may generate some vapor which it is the purpose of this invention to conduct at once to still 4. While actual pressure in the reservoir 8 may be low, the intensity of the heat is eii'ective in the cracking and this intensity may not be fully dissipated when the gases go through the Hue 19. These iues just below the top or "level 3 of the liquid in the reservoir 4 with a minimum of disturbance of the liquid in the reserVoir 4 tend to assist vaporization so materially that they may be an automatic removal of the lighter product with the heavier portion settling down with the coke in regions quiet and undisturbed by the continuous operation of the still. This lighter product removal and heat intensification of the upper region in the still 4 is materially assisted due to the distributed hot liquid discharge thereinto from the still 8 by the openings 10.

The replenishment by pipe 2 is such that there is not disturbance of the precipitation or the settling of the heavier parts in the reservoir 4.

There is automatic settling for removal of the undesirable heavier portions or coke, permitting continued operation in the removal ot the lighter portions with full conservation of the entire charge or distillate in the operation of the still installation herewith. Furthermore there is heat eficiency, in that the heat is effectively applied to each of the chambers or reservoirs 8 and 14. The heat receiving surface is a maximum. The liquor in its travel has a minimum o travel through other liquids to permit escape of this vapor in the reservoir 4. Be-

'sides the intensity of heat, the rate of operation of pump 6 may be used as well as damper 34 in determining the character of output from the still installation.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cracking still for petroleum embodying a first reservoir, a reverberatory furnace heater therefor, a second cylindrical reservoir having medial transverse tlues in communication with the heater from the first reservoir for etl'ecting uniform heat transference, means for maintaining liquid level in the second reservoir above said second reservoir heating flues and above the top of the first reservoir, circulation provision means between the two reservoirs, said second reservoir being provided with an uprising section for vapor, said. section having communication by way of a plurality of openings with the second reservoir, and a 'riser from the uprising section serving as a discharge duct to a condenser to which the H5 riser delivers.

2. A still installation embodying a housing, a furnace, a first reservoir having an arched to for exposure to heating action from the urnace and a lower portion adapt- 120 ed to receive a precipitate' in a portion thereof shielded by the housing from said furnace heating action, and a second fire tube reservoir mounted by the housing to receive the heating action from over the top of the first reservoir.

3. A still installation embodying a housing, first and second horizontally extending parallel reservoirs mounted in said housing, a source of heat, said housing enclosing the lower portions of both reservoirs from said heat, there being fire tubes through the second reservoir, and said housing directing said source of heat over the first reservoir top and through said fire tubes.

4. A still installation embodying a housing, a pair of parallel horizontally extending reservoirs in said housing, one reservoir being lower than the other, fire tubes in `th"e upper reservoir above the top of the lower reservoir, and a duet connection from the top of the lower reservoir rising to discharge into the upper reservoir below the top of the fire tubes.

In witness whereof I aix my signature.

HENRY G. W. KITTREDGE. 

